Iced Earth's Reviews

The Dark Saga

A dark, emotional masterpiece.

The Dark Saga is a concept album based on the comic book "Spawn." If you are thinking, "Hey, that's cheesy!" let me stress that the band handles this extremely well. Firstly, Spawn was a very mature story, dealing with the ambiguities of good & evil, religion, and lost love. Secondly, the lyrics remain strictly poetic and obscure without falling into the trap where narration supersedes good poetry. (It's a problem that besets most concept works.) To truly appreciate the emotional impact of the album, however, one requires some familiarity with the comic book. However, in an abstract sense it may be easy to appreciate the emotions and conflicts involved. I haven't read Spawn myself in YEARS, but I always liked it.

Jon Schaffer (a monster of a rhythm player) uses more guitar harmonies (a la Iron Maiden) than ever, which weave a melodic finesse through the album. "Hunter" and "Slave to the Dark" are heavy songs, but the harmonized guitar lines lend them a very melodic inflection. Matt Barlow's incredible vocals are more passionate than ever before. Listening to "I Died For You" and "A Question of Heaven," it's impossible not to think he's a soulful performer. "Violate" is one of the few tracks where The Dark Saga enters pure thrash. The pulverizing guitars fit well with the gruesome lyric. "Vengeance Is Mine" is a vicious, thrash-powered piece that is absolutely bloodthirsty.

My favorite song is the tragic, epic-structured "A Question of Heaven," where beautiful acoustic moments are juxtaposed with Schaffer's robust chugging rhythms. The female vocals of Kate Barlow create the angelic choirs, which injects the song with a soft, radiant feel. Matt's vocals are at their absolute best, with unmatched emotional expression that will stir the feelings of anyone with a heart. Randall Shawyer's leads are melodic and emotionally charged. This is definitely one of my favorite songs ever.

Now I will offer my take on the album's story in a broad sense (not limited to the Spawn comic):

"Dark Saga" - Our hero has died. Not being a good guy in life, he winds up in Hell. However, sinners are not necessarily incapable of love -- our hero had a wife who he loved dearly. So the devil makes a deal with him: if the hero sells his soul to the devil and serves his dark machinations, he can return to Earth and see his wife. Like a fool, he jumps at the offer without considering the cost.

"I Died for You" - Our hero returns to Earth five years later. He finds that his wife has remarried his best friend, and both are very happy with a new daughter. He has sold his soul for nothing.

"Violate" - The devil has sent a demon to guide the hero during his time on Earth. This creature is the Violator, who walks in the guise of an ugly, fat clown who likes to indiscriminately kill at random. This song is the gruesome exposition of this creature's nature. This has more importance in the comic than The Dark Saga, but it makes for a good headbangin' track.

"Hunter" - Heaven dispatches an angelic warrior to destroy the new servent of Hell. The hero evades her clutches though. Again, this isn't necessarily important to the concept other than reflecting the fact that Heaven is against the main character.

"The Last Laugh" - The devil considers his new servent. He revels in the helplessness of his slave.

"Depths of Hell" - Here, the hero is seeking to reject his new role, and he finds himself with no allies. Rebuking the devil, he is Hell's enemy. As a soldier of Hell, Heaven wants him destroyed.

"Vengeance is Mine" - Perhaps in an attempt to reconcile the being he has become, the hero brutally kills a psychotic child murderer as retribution. Is he on the road to righteousness?

"Scarred" - In the final trilogy things become more ambiguous. Here, the hero reflects on his situation. Is he in control, or merely a pawn in the battle of Heaven and Hell?

"Slave to the Dark" - The character's inner reflection probes deeper, and he concludes he must seek God's forgiveness if he is to break free.

"A Question of Heaven" - The hero tries to enter Heaven. But the angels sing back to him, telling him cannot enter because of the path he has chosen. God rejects him. We can empathize with our hero because in the story's closed system, he is the good guy. The Dark Saga ends with a nightmare where our hero is condemned to suffer because he gave up everything for love.

Buy this album on Amazon at $13.99